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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Javon Andrews is excellent at pickleball. He was a state representative touch footballer. When he was a kid, he loved watching league stars Shaun Johnson and Greg Inglis.<\/p>\n Andrews is also lucky to be walking, let alone making his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers on Saturday, after fracturing two vertebrae during a game in Queensland five years ago.<\/p>\n Playing for Logan Brothers in 2021, Andrews slammed head-first into an upright, with doctors convinced the injury would deny him playing league again.<\/p>\n \u201cI got tackled into the post, and my head went through the gap of the padding where the velcro was,\u201d Andrews told this masthead this week. \u201cI was only millimetres from being left a quadriplegic.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrews, 19, will wear the No. 7 jersey against Canberra on Saturday as the Tigers try to keep their slim finals hopes alive at GIO Stadium.<\/p>\n Coach Benji Marshall used the same venue to hand Lachie Galvin<\/a> his NRL debut at the start of the 2024 season. Late last year, following a Tigers loss to the Raiders, Marshall pulled Heamasi Makasini<\/a> aside in the visitor\u2019s sheds to inform him he would be debuting the following week.<\/p>\n The club has been in the headlines yet again this week after Adam Doueihi\u2019s shock withdrawal from the team<\/a> after he was told he would be moved to lock to accommodate Andrews.<\/p>\n Doueihi \u2013 the Tigers\u2019 regular halfback this season \u2013 was unimpressed that he, rather than the Parramatta-bound Jarome Luai, was the one who was being told to make way.<\/p>\n But Tigers fans will be eager to catch a glimpse of the highly rated Andrews in action<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll always back myself and ability \u2013 I\u2019ll always put my best foot forward and go after it,\u201d said Andrews, after a starring performance in the NSW Cup at Belmore on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I get the call, I\u2019ll go out there for my boys and go hard; I\u2019ll go out and try to get the job done. Every day I feel like I put my best foot forward.<\/p>\n \u201cBenji keeps telling me to stay consistent, keep backing your skill, and if you get your opportunity, be ready. I like how Benji talks to everyone, how he communicates, and just his presence.<\/p>\n \u201c[As for Luai], he\u2019s the best person ever. He\u2019ll always look after you, especially if you\u2019re his mate. He\u2019s always trying to make you better at training, and challenging you, which makes you better. I\u2019m contracted at the club until 2028. If they want me for longer, then perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Andrews did not put a foot wrong against Canterbury in reserve grade, with opposition hooker Gordon Chan Kum Tongsaying: \u201cHe\u2019s talented, man. I was telling him after the game, \u2018you\u2019ve gone hard, and you\u2019ll get your [NRL] opportunity soon\u2019. I\u2019m expecting big things from him. When he\u2019s got the ball in his hands, he\u2019s a threat. He\u2019s got a really good footy IQ.\u201d<\/p>\n Darius Boyd was another big admirer, and said if it was not for Andrews, his Queensland under-19s team does not win their Origin game against NSW last year. Andrews was man of the match.<\/p>\n Coby Black, the one-time Broncos halfback prodigy who has since joined the Raiders, failed a head injury assessment, which meant Andrews had to run the show the final 20 minutes against the Blues.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if Javon isn\u2019t there, we don\u2019t win that game,\u201d said Boyd, who coached the junior Maroons to a 23-22 victory. \u201cOnce our halfback went down, he did all the kicking, set up a late try, and kicked a conversion from the sideline.<\/p>\n \u201cThat game featured the best 34 kids in the country in that age group, and he was close to man of the match. As much as you say it will be a baptism of fire on Saturday Javon won\u2019t be overawed by the occasion. He\u2019s very calm.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Javon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/722cc76fea735a5d839e01ab70baf82894fcb227429e5f65f55e2ed413e86160.jpeg\")
Javon Andrews trains with the Wests Tigers this week.Wests Tigers<\/p>\n![\"Javon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3c2556d3429ca858b81971472421b172e42945a63159f150c925759bbef3db05.jpeg\")
Javon Andrews lines up a kick for Queensland in last year\u2019s under-19s State of Origin game.NRL<\/p>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5ad8283ba3c0ccc49e218edd61c961daac1051a4.jpeg\")
Adam Doueihi won\u2019t play for the Tigers this weekend.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784923395_362_12257bdaed0454c6f7e773d97429995eb0a47b4f.jpeg\")
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